Asus VivoTab RT convertible tablet reviewed

The Tech Report posted a review on the Asus VivoTab RT convertible tablet

Convertible tablets have been around in one form or another for years. In the past, most relied on resistive touchscreens limited to stylus input. Those machines were a little on the portly side, with fancy hinges that allowed the screen to twist and then fold flat onto the keyboard. Fancy hinges aren't cheap, and as one might expect, those initial convertibles cost a fair amount more than comparable notebooks.

Then along came Asus' Eee Pad Transformer. This system swapped the contortionist hinges of old in favor of a docking station that allowed the tablet and keyboard components to be separated completely. It ditched the resistive touchscreen for a finger-friendly capacitive model and traded the x86 PC internals for ARM-based hardware like the iPad's. Best of all, the asking price was no higher than the cost of an iPad plus one of those keyboard accessories most folks seem to have in tow.

The original Transformer wasn't a convertible tablet in the strictest sense—it ran Google's Android OS, after all—but it did blow up the traditional formula. Now, after refining the concept over several generations, Asus has released its first model running Windows. The 10.1" VivoTab RT lacks the Transformer name but stays true to the formula, with a detachable keyboard dock and ARM hardware under the hood. It's more affordable than expected, too. The tablet starts at $599, and the dock costs an additional $199. Until December 31, though, Asus is offering a free dock to folks who buy the tablet.